Dominica Facts.

Known for being the Caribbean’s Nature Island, Dominica could help you appreciate more and rediscover the wonders of nature. Untouched wildlife, spectacular views, rugged terrains, virgin beaches, and dynamic culture are just some of the things that entice people to explore and come back for more. Experience wild adventures, hiking, swimming, dancing, singing, painting, sleeping, relaxing, and enjoy the simplicity. The friendly locals are also the precious gems of this place. Your time spent touring around the country will never be enough to completely explore its beauty. Restore your vigor for life and get inspired by the unparalleled beauty of Dominica.

Important and Interesting facts about Dominica

Morne Trois Pitons National Park located in Dominica is a tropical rainforest with volcanic features that was recognized as a World Heritage Site on April 4, 1995.

Dominica is the dividing point of the Caribbean islands’ Windward Islands to the west and the Leeward islands to the east. The highest point is Morne Diablotin at 4,747ft. Dominica has some of the richest mountain rainforest in the Caribbean.

The majority of the island is covered by densely wooded mountains and rainforest. The overall terrain is very steep, and extremely rugged. Dominica’s beaches generally consist of shimmering black sand or rocks.

There are few expansive beaches. The island has over 360 rivers. There are 9 volcanoes on the Dominica …none display the distinct cone shape top generally associated with volcanoes. There are more active volcanoes here than anywhere in the world.

Boiling Lake, in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park, is one of the world’s largest thermal lakes. This eerie-looking pool of bubbling, gray-green water lies at the end of a strenuous, three-hour hike through thick forest.

Cabrits National Park is on a peninsula at the north end of the Caribbean island of Dominica, north of Portsmouth. The park protects tropical forest, coral reefs and wetlands. There are hiking trails and an English garrison called Fort Shirley.

The Layou River is a river in Dominica. It rises in the interior of the country, flowing westward to reach the Caribbean Sea on the country’s central western coast, very close to the town of St. Joseph. It is the longest and deepest river in Dominica.

One of the most impressive and photogenic waterfalls on the island, the Victoria Waterfall, in Morne Trois Pitons National Park in Dominica, is formed by the White River cascading over a cliff into a warm pool below. Minerals give the water a milky-white color.

The twin falls are one of Dominica’s most famous sites. Known as Mother and Father, the falls lie at the end of an easy 20-minute hike through a forest of ginger plants and vanilla orchids. The cool main stream of Trafalgar Falls originates in the mountains and is joined near the bottom by a hot mineral spring.

Pretty Papillote Tropical Gardens are a haven for artists, botanists, and photographers. Fed by a small stream, these 10-acre gardens form the grounds of a charming eco-lodge, the Papillote Wilderness Retreat. Paths wind among bamboo trees, ginger blossoms, indigenous orchids, bromeliads, and begonias. Nature-lovers may also find many frogs, birds, and butterflies in the lush gardens.

Cool, Funny and Fun Facts about Dominica

The second Pirates film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and the third film “At World’s End” had all major scenes filmed in Dominica.

Jean Rhys, the novelist, was born in Dominica. She is famous for Wide Sargasso Sea, which tells the story of the first wife of Mr Rochester, a character in Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre.

English here sounds like African languages mixed with French creole. For example, “I love Dominica” translates to “Mwen enme Domnik”.

There are 195 recorded species of fern, 75 kinds of orchids, 50 kinds of butterflies and 176 species of birds!

Endangered giant leatherback turtles lay eggs here every year.

Dominica gets 60% of its power from water through a series of water carried down in pipes from high peaks.

The imperial amazon (Amazona imperialis), also known as the sisserou, is found only on the Caribbean island of Dominica. Adult plumage is very colorful and mostly darkly colored: the chest is a dark shade of purple, and the upper-parts and feathers are a dark shade of green, with black-edged feather tips. The eye-ring is dark brown, with the eye being a mix of orange and red.

The Dominica Racer is a species of snake common only on Dominica, where it can be found in all areas except the highest elevations, possibly due to the absence of the mongoose on that island. It can reach nearly a meter in length and feeds on lizards and small rodents.

Red-footed Tortoise possibly resides as long ago as Amerindian settlement of Dominica. They have a dark-colored loaf-shaped carapace (back shell) with a lighter patch in the middle of each scute (scales on the shell), and dark limbs with brightly colored scales that range from pale yellow to dark red.

The Dominican Snout is a species of snout butterfly that is endemic to Dominica, an island nation in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles. Adults are active even in windy weather. It is not gregarious and probably does not migrate.

Historical and Cultural facts about Dominica

Stone Age tribes from the Orinoco were the first people to inhabit Dominica.

The first island sighted by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World was Dominica at which he arrived Sunday (dies dominica , 3 November 1493.

Carib Indians, whose ancestors originally had come from the Orinoco Basin in South America and, during the 14th century, had driven out the indigenous Arawaks, inhabited the island.

In 1635 France claimed Dominica. Shortly thereafter, French missionaries became the first European inhabitants on the island.

Excavations have discovered pottery belonging to Amerindian people living in Dominica over a thousand years ago.

During the early seventeenth century, both the British and French had settlements on Dominica.

Everywhere you go you see people walking with machetes, also called cutlasses.

We see lots of African traditions here including Carnival which means Masquerade.

Dominican cuisine is similar to that of other Caribbean countries. Common main courses comprise meat (usually chicken, but can be goat, lamb, or beef) covered in sauce. The sauces are either spicy pepper sauces, or concoctions made from local fruit.

The music of Dominica includes a variety of genres including all the popular genres of the world. Popular music is widespread, with a number of native Dominican performers gaining national fame in imported genres such as calypso, reggae, soca, konpa, zouk and rock and roll. Dominica’s own popular music industry has created a form called bouyon, which combines elements from several styles and has achieved a wide fanbase in Dominica.